Strike Witches: The War that Never Was
by Karl the Artillery Piece
Summary: After the 3rd World War, Andrew Richthofen was chosen as the test pilot for the Home Guard's new VF-35t. But when the Coalition Fleet is transferred into a different universe, Andrew and his friends have to fight along side his new friends, the Witches of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Encounter of World Lines

English Channel, 0800 hours.

Admiral James Abraham looked out of the bridge of the USS Nimitz II. It has been a year since the Third World War, more commonly known as the War that Never Was, had ended. The new Russian government had sent a small fleet for the new Coalition Fleet to prove their friendly intentions. Joining the US and Russian Navies were a joint EU Fleet, the Japanese Marine Self Defense Force, and the United States Home Guard Combined Fleet, a new force that was established during the outbreak of the War that Never Was. This joint exercise was meant to prove that the war was over and that the countries could trust each other again.

"Admiral, sir," said one of the officers. "A local British weather station has stated that a thunderstorm is coming this way. Shall we alter course, sir?"

"There will be no need," said Admiral Abraham. "Maintain course, but keep an eye on that storm."

"Yes sir."

The Admiral sighed. Ever since the war ended, he had wanted to retire from service. However, he couldn't leave the ship he commanded during the whole war. On top of that, he wanted to see what the Home Guard's new models could do…

* * *

On board the HGS Battleship Asahi, 0800 hours.

Andrew sat on the flight deck, looking into the sky. From where he sat he could see all the fleets that participated in the exercise. The Combined Fleet was the most technologically advanced fleet in the Home Guard. They were fielding heavily modified Sea Harriers while the rest of the Air Arm was using retrofitted MiG-21s at best. The ships were all decommissioned long ago, but were pressed back into service when the Russians declared war.

On board the Asahi, there were three new prototype fighter aircraft. Andrew was the pilot of one of them, the VF-35t. He didn't want to be a test pilot. He wanted to be a normal kid. With a normal life. The War changed all that.

Andrew looked into the distance. There was a storm brewing up ahead. He hurried back below decks.

Aircraft Carrier Petovkin, Renewed Russian navy flag ship, Bridge. 0800 Hours.

"Admiral," said a Russian officer. "The freak storm is coming straight at us. Should we ask Admiral Abraham to alter course, sir?"

"Niet,"said Admiral Romanov. "We are the American's guests. We follow his orders now." However, even as he said it, Romanov was slightly concerned about the suspicious storm, but he quickly forgot about it.

* * *

USS Nimitz II, Bridge, 0830 hours.

"Admiral, that freak storm is getting creepily closer. It's even emitting a slight EMP," said the officer.

"What?" said Admiral Abraham. "Is it possible to avoid it now?"

"Not anymore, sir," said the officer. "It's too close."

"Tell all the ships to prepare for EMP counter measures," said the Admiral. "We don't want our ships to just get stranded in a thunderstorm.

"Yes sir," said the officer.

* * *

HGS Asahi, Bridge, 0830 hours.

"Admiral," said a Home Guard officer, "Admiral Abraham is telling us to prepare for an EMP. Does that apply to us, sir?"

Admiral Eric Liu shook his head. "There will be no need. Our ships are all analog. The EMP might affect some of our planes and minor functions but we'll still be up and running."

The officer smiled. "So THAT'S why we use these outdated ships," he said.

"No, we use them because we are broke compared to the other militaries of the world."

* * *

USS Nimitz II, Bridge, 0849 hours.

"Admiral! The storm is upon us!" said the officer. The ship pitched and rolled in the high waves. The bridge shook, as if it were being hit by shells in battle. The lights flickered slightly.

"Status report!" yelled the Admiral. One of the officers replied.

"The storm is jamming all our communications!" he yelled. "We can't raise the other ships. An alarm sounded.

"Admiral! There is an EMP reading! INCOMING!"

"BRAAAAAACE!"

And the EMP hit the fleet with devastating force.

* * *

Alternate Universe, 501st Joint Fighter Wing base, Dover.

Wing Commander Minna sat at her desk and sighed. A Liberion fleet was supposed to arrive soon. However they were behind schedule by over an hour. The door suddenly slammed open. Major Sakamoto Mio stood in the doorway.

"Minna," she said, "That fleet you're waiting for, it's under attack."

Minna sighed again. "I figured as much," she said. This was going to be a bad day.

* * *

English Channel 0900 hours.

The storm finally subsided. Admiral Abraham got up and looked around.

"Is, is everyone all right?" he asked. The bridge crew nodded. "I need a status report."

"Most of our electronics are back online, sir. The GPS isn't working, though."

"Switch to standard navigation," said the Admiral. "CIC, are the communication modules back online, yet?"

"One moment sir, they're coming on… now."

The communication lines came back to life. Once it did, the American Admiral was bombarded with questions from the other admirals. He tried to brush most of them off. It would be around this time when the radar operator cut into the conversations.

"Admiral!" he said. "There seems to be an engagement a few miles away over on the starboard side!"

"Can you get me a visual?" asked Admiral Abraham.

"Right away sir!" The image popped up and everyone in the bridge of the USS Nimitz II gasped. A fleet of World War II ships were being attacked by what looked like a stealth bomber with red hexagons placed here and there. And it was firing lasers. And the said thing was also engaging what looked like teenaged girls with models of World War II aircraft strapped to their legs. The Admiral sighed. "What the hell is going on here?"

* * *

Battleship HGS Asahi, Bridge.

"Admiral Liu!" said the CIC officer. "There's a call for you. It's from Admiral Abraham." Admiral Liu picked up the phone.

"Hello Admiral," said the American Admiral. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"If what you're seeing is a black object shooting lasers engaging a fleet of antique ships and flying teenage girls with no pants, then yes. I am seeing what you are seeing," said the Civilian Admiral.

"What are you going to do?" asked Admiral Abraham. "The Russians, Japanese, and the Europeans want to help the lot. So do we. We need your decision."

"Why do you want MY decision, Admiral?" asked Admiral Liu. "I may have a military rank but I'm still a civilian. You have the overall authority here."

* * *

USS Nimitz II, Bridge.

Admiral Abraham sighed. He then put down the phone and turned to the CIC officer.

"Ensign, issue General Quarters and order all fleets to engage. Let's give that fleet a hand."

The Ensign smiled. "Yes sir. All personnel, General Quarters! General Quarters! All hands to battle stations! Repeat! All hands to battle stations!"

* * *

HGS Asahi, Flight deck.

The VF-35t rose up to the flight deck. Sea Harrier Kai-ni variable jump jets were already launching from the rear flight deck of the aviation battleship. From the other Home Guard aircraft carriers Sabre Kai-ni and Rapier Kai fighters were taking off.

"CIC to Dossel team, your objective is to intercept and destroy the Unidentified Aircraft in sector Alpha 2. Be careful out there. Those things shoot lasers."

"Dossel 1 to CIC, I figured you'll say that," said Captain Alex Bell. "This one's going to cost you extra." The squadron laughed. "Amy, don't fall behind. Dossel 1, launch!" With that, Captain Bell's SV-51G launched off the catapult.

"Right behind you, sir," said Lieutenant Amy Yamamoto. "Dossel 2, launch!" Lieutenant Yamamoto's VF-0F then rocketed off the catapult.

"CIC to Dossel 3, you're next. Do me a favor and don't get shot down. You're flying a prototype."

"In the name of my Great-Grandfather, I will NOT get this guy a scratch," said Andrew. He took a deep breath. A Sea Harrier took off from the catapult next to him.

"Let's do this buddy… Andrew Richthofen, Dossel 3, launch!"

* * *

Author's notes: Finally got around to doing this fanfic. It's a slight Strike Witches/Macross/Ace Combat crossover but only slight.

Facts:

-The Third World War, aka the War that Never Was, started in the year 2014 AD when the Russian Federation invaded Ukraine and Poland at the same time. When the United States declared war, Russia launched a preemptive invasion of North America. Russia's new carpet bombing tactic overwhelmed the US Military. Thus the United States Home Guard was born. Using outdated technology and superior numbers, the Home Guard along with what remained of the US Military pushed back the Russians to their homeland. The war ended when the Russian people revolted and the Home Guard's I-400 class submarines launched a Doolittle Raid style attack on Moscow. Fighting continued in Asia where North Korea invaded its southern neighbor and China invaded Vietnam. The Home Guard Combined fleet along with the US Navy then launched a counter attack in the Korean peninsula along with a Japanese Volunteer force and the South Korean Army. The war ended when North Korea surrendered and when China and Vietnam signed a peace treaty.

-Aviation Battleships were used by the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. When the Japanese lost all their carriers, they went on to convert some of their Battleships into carrier hybrids, thus creating the Aviation Battleship. This idea was used by the Home Guard fleets due to the nature of modern navel combat. All Home Guard ships (excluding light escort ships and torpedo boats) have at least two interceptors in the event of an aerial attack.

-The HGS Asahi is the fourth Yamato class battleship that was never built. When the Home Guard found that they would need a new ship that could cause havoc on enemy fleets, they built a modified Yamato class. Because it was the fourth of it's class, it was named the Asahi, as that was its intended name if the Japanese built the ship during World War II.

* * *

Maya: So you finally got around in doing this story?

Karl: Yeah. So?

Maya: Nothing. I'm just wondering how Auto-correct would react when it detects all the Strike Witches terms...

Karl:... Stahp! I didn't want to think about that!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Cooperation of World Line

English Channel, 1000 hours.

Erica Hartmann's MG-42 tore through another small Neuroi. Below her, another Liberion ship exploded from Laser fire. Next to her, Mio Sakamoto threw away her 20mm cannon and slashed another Neuroi apart with her sword.

"They just keep coming!" said Mio as she slashed another one.

"This might not end well for the fleet…" said Erica's friend, Gertrud Barkhorn.

"There's… too… many…" said Sanya, an Orussian night witch, as she emptied her rocket launcher again.

"Minna," began Mio, "We might need reinforcements!"

"Hold on, Mio!" said Minna through the comms. "Reinforcements are on their way!"

More laser fire tore through the Liberion fleet. A barrage of lasers kept the witches at bay, too far to deal effective support for the fleet.

"Damn it," said Erica. "That fleet is going to be…

"ERICA! LOOK OUT!" yelled Gertrud. Erica turned around and her eyes widened in horror. A Neuroi was heading right for her, and it was at ramming speed. Erica cringed, and prayed that the impact would be painless.

Then a rocket hit the Neuroi and it shattered into millions of tiny crystal pieces.

"Wow!" said Erica. "Thanks Sanya! You saved my life!"

"That wasn't me…" replied Sanya. Everyone gasped.

"If it wasn't Sanya…" began Gertrud, "then who was it?" At that exact moment, Sanya detected something.

"Something is coming," she said. "Due west. It's not Neuroi." Mio took off her eye patch and looked into the distance with her magical eye when more rockets flew past, this time followed by nine 18in. shells.

"It looks like a fleet," said Mio. "Most of those ships look… strange. I've never seen anything like them. And… IS THAT THE YAMATO!?" Mio exclaimed in shock. Just then, a large number of what looked like airplanes zoomed passed the four of them. At about the same time the rest of the 501st arrived, not including Minna, of course.

"Wow!" said Charlotte E. Yeager, aka Shirley, as she saw the propeller-less fighter aircraft. "Those things are FAST!"

"I've never seen anything like them!" exclaimed Yoshika Miyafuji. Her friend, Lynette Bishop, agreed.

Erica just stared in awe. One particular plane caught her eye. It was red and had an unfamiliar roundel on it. It climbed vertically, shot through a Neuroi, made a graceful arc and dove straight back down into the fray. As it dove, a loud boom was heard causing the surrounding air to shake.

"Did… Did that thing just break the sound barrier!?" said Shirley, amazed.

"Wow," said Erica. "Just… wow."

Dossel team's POV

Andrew blasted music from his earpieces as he dove down on the black objects shooting lasers. There was a bang as his VF-35t broke the sound barrier. He zoomed towards the object and released a hail of missiles. They all hit the target and the object exploded into millions of tiny white crystals. As he broke through the cloud of debris, he pulled up on his joysticks and also kicked some of his vertical thrusters on.

"C'MOOOOOOOOOOON!" he yelled as his plane zoomed towards the ocean surface. He pulled out of the dive just a foot away from the water. He pulled back up and shot down another object with his 37mm Oldsmobile cannon. Meanwhile, Captain Bell was shooting down more bogeys with his SV-51G.

"YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" the Captain yelled. His super-heated bullets punched through more enemy aircraft and soon the whole area was obscured by white dust. Lieutenant Yamamoto was also tearing apart bogey after bogey with her 20mm gun pod on her VF-0F. Home Guard Sea Harriers, American F/A-18s, Russian MiG-29s and Su-27s, EU Eurofighters, and Japanese F-2s also were in the fray at this point. They were soon joined by Home Guard F-86KII Saber Kai-ni and F-86S Rapier fighters along with retrofitted MiG-17s and MiG-21s. Around this time, the main fleets were within firing range.

USS Nimitz II, Bridge.

"Sir! The enemy is within range of our destroyers' guns!" said the CIC officer.

"Order our destroyers to open fire! And tell the other fleets to do the same!" yelled Admiral Abraham.

HGS Asahi, Bridge.

"Sir! The enemy is within range of all of our guns. The other ships are ready to fire as well!"

"FIRE!" yelled Admiral Liu. The legendary guns of the Asahi roared to life and began raining a deadly mix of 18in. cannon shells and Sledgehammer anti-ship missiles. The shells and missiles rained down on the black objects and they all erupted into a cloud of dust. Now, there was just one massive one left.

501st's POV

"Mio, there's one large one left now! Those planes and ships took the rest out!" said Shirley in excitement.

"The shells they're sending at the large one isn't doing any damage," said Gertrud. "Hartmann, follow me! The rest of you, cover us!"

"Right behind you Trude!" said Erica as the 501st flew towards the last Neuroi. As they zoomed down, Erica heard some of the radio chatter going on between the unidentified planes

"This is Sierra 1! Do you guys see that thing!? It's freaking huge!"

"This is Romeo 104! I see it! It's massive!"

"This is Klinge 5! How do we kill that thing!?"

Then Mio cut into the transmissions. "This is Major Sakamoto of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing! We'll handle the last one!" Erica looked up. Above her were three planes. One was brown, one was white, and the final one was red. All red. Then came a transmission.

"501st, this is Dossel 1! We'll cover you on your approach!"

"Roger that, Dossel 1! Thank you!" replied Mio. Then she looked at her fellow witches. "Well," she said, "at least we know they're human."

Dossel team's POV.

"Cover them?" asked Amy. "Knowing you, you won't do that." Alex laughed.

"You know me well, Amy. Dossel 1 to all units! Let's sink that bastard!"

"Dossel 2 roger."

Andrew smiled. "Dossel 3 roger." The three planes zoomed past the surprised witches of the 501st. As they passed by, Andrew caught a glimpse of a girl with blonde hair, holding an MG-42, and had what looked like models of Bf.109s strapped to her legs. She seemed to notice him, too, and she continued to stare with a look of awe on her face as Andrew passed by.

501st's POV.

"Hartmann? Hey Hartmann!" Erica blinked and turned around. Gertrud was shooting at the large Neuroi. "Give me a hand here, will you!?"

"Huh? Oh! Yeah, sure!" Erica took a deep breath and flew straight at the Neuroi. "STURM!" she yelled, and she punched through the Neuroi leaving a cloud of dust behind and exposing the Neuroi's core. "Sanya! Now!" Sanya aimed her rocket launcher. But before she could fire, a barrage of laser fire forced the witches to fall back. That was when the Red plane charged through the barrage of lasers. "It moves like Eila…" Sanya thought out loud.

Dossel team's POV.

"Nothing to fear! The Red Baron is here!" yelled Andrew as he dived into the barrage of lasers. His sights locked on to what looked like the object's core. He laid his finger on the trigger. "Eat this!" He pulled the trigger and a hail of shells flew from his Oldsmobile cannon into the core of the bogey, causing it to turn into a cloud of dust.

"Dossel 1 to all planes, let's go home. I'm starving. For food AND an explanation."

"Roger that Dossel 1. Dossel 2, returning to ship."

"Dossel 3 returning to ship."

501st's POV.

Erica stared at the horde of planes returning to their ships. Mio was busy explaining the situation to Minna.

"And you don't know who these people are?" asked Minna. Mio shook her head.

"No, I don't. Most of the ships they have I've never seen before. But they have a small fleet of ships that look similar to ours. They even have a Yamato Class," replied Mio.

"I see…" said Minna. "Could you do a bit of recon for me, Mio? I want to know if these people are a threat or not…" Then suddenly a new transmission cut in.

"That won't be necessary," said a male voice. The witches jumped.

"Who are you?" asked Mio.

"Forgive me for not introducing myself. I'm Admiral James Abraham of the Coalition Naval Fleet. I believe we have demonstrated our good intentions just now."

"Very well, Admiral," said Mio. "We will acknowledge that your fleet is not a threat."

"Could you do me a favor, Major?" asked the Admiral. "What's the date and where are we?"

Mio blinked slightly in surprise at this question but responded normally. "It's December 5th, 1944. You are in the English Channel off the coast of Britannia and Gallia. Why do you ask?"

USS Nimitz II, Bridge.

The crew was shocked to hear the news, but they handled it more calmly than the average person. Admiral Abraham sighed. "That just proves my theory, gentlemen," he said to the screens in front of them, each of which showed the commanders of each fleet, excluding the Home Guard. He informed them via telephone. "We are stuck in an alternate version of our Second World War." He then turned back to his conversation with Major Sakamoto.

"Major, I'm holding a briefing with my fellow Admirals in a few minutes. Is it possible for your Fighter Wing to attend, too?"

"Sure thing Admiral." Then the transmission ended. "Well gentlemen," Admiral Abraham said to his fellow Admirals, "let's get some answers, shall we?"

* * *

Author's notes: Well, that's done.

Facts:

-The 37mm Oldsmobile cannon was first used on the P-39 Aircobra. Because of the size of the gun, the engine of the Aircobra was installed in the rear, thus giving it stability problems. In the end, the Aircobra was only used by the Russians during World War II. The Oldsmobile was then modified for use on the VF-35t by the Home Guard.

-The F-86S Rapier is a modernized version of the F-86 Saber. Modifications included delta wings, rocket boosters, and MOAR MISSILES!

-Andrew has a habit of listening to combat music in combat. This is what he was listening to during this battle: watch?v=80XAJKqRU9k

* * *

Karl: Well, that's done.

Maya: If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please send us a PM or drop a message in the review box below. Danke.

Karl: And congratulations to Germany for winning the World Cup. \^0^/


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Difference of World Lines.

"Nice flying, Andrew!" said Alex. By this time, Dossel team and the rest of the planes aboard the Battleship Asahi had landed. The planes from the other carriers were still landing.

"Thanks Cap," said Andrew, who pulled a pixy stick out from his pocket. "Want one?"

"Sure thing," said Alex before snatching the pixy stick from Andrew and pouring its contents into his mouth. "Yum! Sugar tastes good!"

"No s*** Captain," said Amy. "Sugar is always good." Just then one of the Home Guard officers walked up to them.

"You guys are Dossel Team, right?" asked the officer. Andrew tensed a bit.

"Yes, we are," replied Alex. "What do you want, sir?"

"Admiral Liu wants you guys in the bridge," said the officer. "Follow me, please."

The three followed the officer to the bridge, not knowing what to expect.

Battleship Asahi, Bridge.

The three entered the bridge where the Admiral was waiting.

"Ah there you are," said Admiral Liu. "I have a job for you three." The Admiral walked over to the trio. "I'm going to need an escort to the USS Nimitz II. The other Admirals will be there as well and we don't know when those… things will appear again. You don't mind, do you?"

"No sir," said Alex. The other two remained silent.

"Good," said the Admiral. "Meet me on the flight deck once your aircraft are refueled and rearmed."

"Sir," began Andrew, "why us? Why can't it be one of the other squadrons?" The Admiral laughed.

"That's because we need to show off to the 501st. Even the US Military doesn't know what our new fighters can do."

Andrew's mouth slowly curled into a smile. "Ah, so THAT's what you're doing."

The Admiral winked and walked out of the bridge.

USS Nimitz II, Flight Deck.

"Wow! I've never seen a carrier so big!" said Yoshika as she landed on the flight deck.

"I have to agree," said Mio. "It makes the Shinano look like an ant."

"Hmph. Look at the crew. They must be having dirty thoughts right now," said Perrine in disgust.

"Aww, don't be hard on them Perrine," said Erica. "They all look nice…" Erica trailed off. There was no sign of the Red Plane anywhere.

"Hartmann? Who are you looking for?" asked Gertrud in a slightly worried tone.

"Huh? Oh, no one." Just then, a man walked up to the witches from the bridge.

"You must be the 501st JFW," said the man. "I'm Admiral James Abraham, Commander of the Coalition Fleet and Admiral of the American 7th Fleet."

"Wait… American? You mean Liberion, right?" asked Shirley.

The Admiral looked slightly confused a bit but then said, "I'll explain that later." He then looked at Shirley. "And, you are…"

Shirley stood at attention. "Captain Charlotte E. Yeager, 501st JFW. Call me Shirley."

Admiral Abraham's POV

So, I guess Liberion is the equivalent of America in this world, thought the Admiral. His gaze shifted to the next pair of girls, both wearing an Imperial Japanese Naval uniforms.

"I'm Major Mio Sakamoto, 501st JFW, Imperial Fuso Navy." said the girl with the eye patch. "I'm Sargent Yoshika Miyafuji, Imperial Fuso Navy," said the girl next to the Major. Admiral Abraham nodded. So Fuso is the equivalent of Japan, the Admiral thought. And next we have… He looked at the next pair of girls. They were wearing Nazi German uniforms, without Swastikas.

"Gertrud Barkhorn, 501st JFW, Karlsland Luftwaffe," said the first girl. Then she looked over to the other girl and tapped on her shoulder. "Hartmann? Hey Hartmann! Pay attention!"

The other girl, whose name must be Hartmann, turned around. "Huh? Oh! Erica Hartmann, 501st JFW, Karlsland Luftwaffe," she said.

So Karlsland is Germany, thought the Admiral. "And you?" he said to the next girl.

"Perrine Clostermann, 501st JFW, Free Gallian Air Force," she said rather bluntly. Here's Free France, thought Admiral Abraham, but that attitude though… The girl next to her introduced herself. "Sargent Lynette Bishop, Royal Air Force." The Admiral nodded. He looked at the last girl who, for some reason, began to fall asleep. Erica caught her before explaining.

"She's Sanya Litvyak, Orussian Air Force. She's a night witch and hasn't had much sleep today." The Admiral nodded. Now we have Russia, thought Abraham, but couldn't they have been more creative in naming the country, other than sticking an "o" in front of it?

"Admiral," asked Mio, "Are you holding the meeting here or…" she trailed off when she noticed the Admiral was looking into the sky. "I was waiting for them," said Admiral Abraham as he pointed at the approaching helicopters. The Girls looked at the helicopters in awe. The first one that landed was a British Seahawk. The EU commanders climbed out of the Seahawk, saluted Admiral Abraham, and walked into the carrier. The next helicopter was a Russian Mil Mi-6 transport helicopter. From there Admiral Romanov of the Renewed Russian Navy climbed out, saluted, and walked into the carrier. Finally, a JMSDF Seahawk landed and dropped off Admiral Chiba, commander of the Japanese fleet.

"Good day, Admiral," said Chiba. "Is Liu here yet?"

"Not yet," said Abraham. "He's late."

501st's POV

The strange helicopters landed one by one on the flight deck. Each had a roundel on the side that resembled Britannian, Fuso, and Orussian roundels, with minor differences. Erica was, again looking for the Red plane again, which she did not find.

"Who's late?" asked Mio. The Admiral simply replied with, "One of my staff." Then, out of the blue, a streak of red zoomed over the heads of the crew of the carrier. The loud roaring made everyone jump in surprise. Admiral Abraham walked over to a phone on the wall, dialed a number, and began to yell into it.

"Dossel 3, what the hell do you think you're doing!?"

"Don't yell at him, Admiral. I told him to do it," said a voice. The Admiral looked over to see another helicopter with a roundel that was unfamiliar to the witches. It was a Blue and Red circle.

Abraham's POV.

"It's about time you showed up, Admiral Liu," said Admiral Abraham. He looked up at the Home Guard's Huey. He then switched his attention to the three planes in the air.

"Dossel team," said the Admiral. "Should we clear the deck for your landing or are you going to go back?"

"Dossel 1 here, just clear the catapult deck. It'll be enough." Admiral Abraham blinked a little, but then ordered everyone to clear the catapult deck.

Dossel team's POV

"Dossel 1 to all planes, remember your training. Be careful not to squish anyone."

"Dossel 2 roger."

"Dossel 3 roger."

Alex's SV-51G made his approach to the aircraft carrier. He pulled on a lever. The SV-51's wings folded slightly. Its engines disconnected from the tail and folded down, resembling legs. Oh wait… they ARE legs. Two arms extended from the fuselage and one arm picked up the machine gun pod on its belly. Alex hovered over the deck for a little bit before touching down. Amy's VF-0 did the same. Andrew's VF-35t then landed behind them.

501st's POV.

The whole time, the crew watched in awe at what just happened.

"Behold," said Liu. "Our Prototype Variable Fighters."

"Damn it Liu," said Abraham, "so this is what you've been hiding."

"Yup," said Liu. "Now, shall we go inside?"

"Yes," said Major Sakamoto, "I think we should."

Meanwhile, the Red Plane, the VF-35t, caught Erica's eye again. What sort of pilot would have the nerve to paint their plane red? Erica waited slightly until she saw the pilot. It was a boy, about the same age as her. He jumped out of the plane and walked over to the railing. He leaned on the railing and looked into the sea.

"Hey Hartmann! We're going in!"

"Oh, sorry Trude, I'm coming."

Dossel team's POV.

Andrew stared into the sea with a slight frown on his face. He had already heard that they were in an alternate past, and that it was 1944.

"I wonder if there are U-Boats in there," he thought out loud.

"I doubt it," said Alex. "If the people here are fighting flying aliens, then their subs won't attack us."

"I hope you're right…" said Amy. Alex clapped his hands.

"Alright guys, let's move the planes into the hanger."

"Yes sir," said Amy and Andrew at the same time.

Meanwhile…

"… So we told you our part of the deal. Now it's your turn," said Mio. "Now it's your turn." Admiral Abraham cleared his throat.

"Well ladies," began Abraham, "Let's just say we're not of this time, nor this universe."

The witches gave a "you have got to be kidding" look. The Admiral expected this.

"Well," began Gertrud, "I could understand the time part, judging from your equipment, but UNIVERSE?"

"Anyone know what a parallel/alternate universe is?" asked Liu.

"You mean a universe that is similar but different to ours? My sister said something like that before…" said Erica. Admiral Liu nodded.

"Knowing what those are might make things easier," said Admiral Chiba. "We're from the year 2027, and in the year 1944, we don't fight an alien race."

"Wait… if you didn't fight the Neuroi," began Yoshika, "What happened?"

"Well," began Admiral Abraham, "in 1944, the world was at war with each other in the Second World War. Humanity also fought each other on a global scale in 1914, around the time of your First Neuroi War. That was our First World War, otherwise known as the Great War or The War to End All Wars. The last part wasn't exactly accurate, though."

The witches were shocked. They couldn't believe that humanity could fight each other on a global scale. TWICE.

"Wh-what exactly happened during these…World Wars?" asked Mio.

"I have a few documentaries that I could show, but I think it'll be better to show you if we arrived at… Dover, correct?" asked Abraham. Mio nodded.

"Yes. And I think the rest of the members would want to see them too," she said.

"Then it is settled," said Abraham. "You could stay aboard this ship for the time being, or…" He looked at Liu. "… You could stay in a more familiar environment." Liu took the hint and said, "Anyone been on a Yamato Class before?"

Meanwhile…

Andrew sat in the cockpit of his VF-35t listening to music, again. He looked up slightly when the door to the hanger opened. He looked back down, then looked back up again when he saw a certain blonde girl. And… WTF? She's not wearing pants!? Andrew sighed.

"Girls…" he muttered, before putting his earbuds back on.

Erica looked around at the hanger. She was almost as excited as Shirley was. Then she saw the Red Plane and its pilot. Just then, another pilot walked up to the pilot of the Red Plane and tapped on his helmet.

"Hey Andrew!" said Alex. "We're escorting the Admiral and the 501st back to the Asahi. Wake up."

"Stop it Cap. I'm awake," said Andrew.

Dossel teams Variable Fighters were lifted to the flight deck and lined up. They then took off in order.

"Dossel 1, launch!"

"Dossel 2, launch!"

"Dossel 3, launch!"

A few minutes later…

"That was AWESOME!" said Erica when she got off the Huey. Mio looked at Admiral Liu.

"Admiral, why do you have a Yamato class battleship? I thought technology was more advanced in 2027," asked Mio.

"I'll answer that question when we arrive at Dover," said Admiral Liu. Then Erica and Shirley walked up to the Admiral.

"Can we look at the planes in the hanger by any chance?" they asked.

"Go ahead," said the Admiral, "but don't break anything."

Battleship Asahi, Rear Hanger.

Andrew was sitting next to his plane with a note pad in his hand. He periodically looked up at his VF-35t while he drew. On the notepad was a picture of a Comet with a WWI German emblem on the background.

"Whatcha drawing?" said a voice. Andrew turned around. Behind him was the blonde girl from earlier. Andrew smiled and showed her the emblem he was drawing.

"That looks cool," said the girl. She then flustered slightly. "Hey," she began. "I'm Erica Hartmann. What's your name?"

"Andrew," said Andrew. "Andrew Richthofen."

"Nice to… wait. Richthofen? Do you happen to be related to Manfred von Richthofen by any chance?" asked Erica.

Andrew raised his eyebrows. "You mean my great-grandfather? Why do you ask?"

Erica smiled. "That explains your flying skills." Then she asked, "Hey, can I… have a ride in that plane at some point?" Andrew furrowed his brows.

"Well," began Andrew, "it's a single seat fighter so that might be a bit of a problem. But I think they could add a trainer seat to the rear of the cockpit so… Yeah. You can."

"Really?" said Erica. "Thanks!"

* * *

Author's notes: Well, that's done. Longest chapter in the story. Wooot!

Facts:

-There is no German Admiral in the Coalition fleet. That will be explained in the next chapter.

-If you have trouble imagining Andrew's VF-35t, just think of Millia's VF-1A. They're similar enough.

-Andrew painted his plane Red because of his last name.

-Did I not mention that Andrew is related to the Red Baron?

* * *

Karl: That should be enough writing for today.

Maya: If you have any comments, suggestions, or questions, give us a PM or drop a message in the review box below. Danke!

Karl: Why do you keep stealing my line?

Maya: Because it's my line now. :D

Karl: Also, count how many references you could find in all the chapters. Also, I need MOAR of them so, if possible, send me some. Okay? Bye!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Questions of the World Lines

Battleship Asahi, Flight Deck, 2000 hours.

Andrew lay on the flight deck, earphones in his ears. It was a calm night. A slight breeze was blowing over the deck as the Battleship sailed towards the 501st's base at Dover. He remembered the promise he made with a certain blonde girl a few hours back. He smiled and fell asleep.

Battleship Asahi, Mess Hall, 0900 hours.

In the Mess Hall, all the tables were occupied. Most of them were full with crew or pilots, except two tables. One was where the 501st JFW sat. The other was where the 75th Test Flight Team sat. At the 501st's table, Gertrud made a comment.

"Wow, the food here is actually good," she said. Mio laughed.

"What did you expect?" asked Lynette. "Yoshika helped." Yoshika blushed slightly. Shirley then looked around.

"Hey," she said. "Did anyone see Erica?"

"Hartmann?" asked Gertrud. "Oh she must be sleeping…" She then bolted up straight.

"What's wrong Barkhorn?" asked Mio before turning around. Her eyes widened.

"Hartmann… you're awake!?" asked Gertrud as Erica walked up to the table, completely wide awake. Wait… Erica is awake in the morning!? What is this sorcery!?

"Yeah, I am. So?" replied Erica. She sat down and began eating breakfast. "Wow. This IS good."

Meanwhile, Andrew sat down at Dossel team's table. He too began eating breakfast. His eyes widened.

"Is it just me, or is the breakfast better than usual today?" asked Andrew in amazement.

"Yes, it does," said Amy. By this time, Erica noticed that Andrew had arrived at the mess hall so she walked up to him.

"So," she began. "Did the Admiral say yes?"

"Umm… yeah. He did," replied Andrew. "Meet me in the hanger at 0930 hours."

"Sure." Erica skipped away, humming to herself.

"What just happened?" asked Alex. He looked at Andrew with an evil smile on his face. Andrew sighed.

"I know how your mind works, Cap. Stop it," said Andrew. The three laughed. "She just wanted a ride on the Red Comet, that's all."

"… Red Comet?" asked Alex. Then his eyes widened in realization. "Aaaaah. I see what you did there." Amy slanted her head in confusion.

"Right, I'll be off, then," said Andrew. He then got up and walked out of the mess hall. When he got out, he headed straight to his quarters. He grabbed his iPod, his earbuds, and a Chocolate bar. He then ran to the hanger, a big smile on his face.

Meanwhile, Erica was humming to herself as she walked to the hanger. When she arrived, there was no sign of Andrew and his red plane. Then someone tapped on her shoulder. It was one of the mechanic crew.

"Are you looking for Andrew?" he asked. Erica nodded. "He's on the flight deck," said the crewman. Erica thanked him and ran up the stairs. When she arrived on the deck, she looked around, and found Andrew waving at her. She ran over to him.

"Hey," she said. Andrew gave her a thumbs up. Then took a screw out from his mouth.

"Hey," he said, before putting the screw into a hole in the engine. Erica blinked.

"Were you eating a screw?" she asked. Andrew shook his head.

"I was holding it," he said. "My hands were full." Then he handed Erica what looked like a jacket, slightly different from the one he was wearing.

"This is a pilot suit. It reduces the g-forces you experience in the plane when it pulls maneuvers. Basically it keeps you from blacking out," said Andrew. Erica put the pilot suit on and climbed onto the trainer seat of the plane. Andrew followed suit.

"CIC to Dossel 3, you have permission to launch," said the CIC officer. Andrew put on his helmet.

"Roger that CIC. Dossel 3, moving to catapult," said Andrew. "Also, if I were you, I wouldn't frown as much. It'll make your face wrinkly," he added.

"… Shut up," said the CIC officer before she cut the transmission. Andrew looked back at Erica.

"You better hold on," he said. Then he turned back towards the rear of the ship. "Dossel 3, launch!" The catapult sent the plane forward with such force that Erica was plastered to her seat. When the plane flew off the deck, it dropped two to three feet before ascending again. As they climbed, a US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet pulled up next to them.

"Dossel 3, this is Romeo 104 of the USS Nimitz II. I'll be accompanying you on your Combat Patrol," he said. He then added, "Also, I heard you have a special passenger on board."

"Shut up, you," replied Andrew. "She just wanted a ride. That's all." They laughed at the casual conversation that was going on, even though it was supposed to be a rather serious situation.

Meanwhile…

Battleship Asahi, bridge.

There was a knock at the door. A soldier with an M-16 walked over to the door and opened slightly. He began chatting to the guard on the other side before opening the door fully. Mio walked into the bridge. Admiral Liu was drinking soda.

"Oh. Hello Major," said Liu, finishing his soda. Mio looked around for a bit before replying.

"Hello Admiral. There's been something that has been bothering me," said Mio. Liu raised his eyebrows.

"What might that be?" asked Liu.

"Well," began Mio. "I just can't help but noticing how your portion of the fleet is using more outdated technology compared to the rest of the fleet. Why is that?" Liu tensed a little.

"We'll explain that at Dover, along with most of our history," said Liu. Mio frowned, but nodded in agreement. Suddenly the CIC officer turned around and looked at the Admiral. Her look was rather serious.

"Admiral," she said, "There's a transmission here for Major Sakamoto."

"Who's it from?" asked Liu.

"The USS Nimitz II, sir," she replied. Mio and Liu raised their eyebrows.

"Patch us in," said Liu. He picked up a phone and passed it to Mio. Mio held up the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" she said.

"Hello Major," said Admiral Abraham. "I just got a call from your Wing Commander."

"From Minna?" said Mio. "What did she say?"

"She said there's a Neuroi trying to attack Dover and that she needs reinforcements," said Abraham. "Do you think it is possible for you witches to go and help? We'll send reinforcements as well."

Mio nodded. "Very well. We'll be heading out to help." She then handed the phone back to Liu and walked out of the bridge. Liu then picked up the phone.

"Liu," began Abraham, "do we have anyone in that area by any chance?"

"Dossel 3 and your Romeo 104 is over there right now," said Liu.

"Send them to the site of engagement," ordered Abraham.

"Affirmative," said Liu.

Meanwhile…

Erica was cheering in excitement as the VF-35t climbed above the clouds and shot down through them. There was a loud bang as the VF-35t broke the sound barrier. The ocean surface got closer…and closer…and closer…

"Andrew!" said Erica. "We're going to crash!"

Andrew only smiled. About one hundred feet away from the surface, he pulled on a certain lever. There was a splash and there was sea spray everywhere. When it cleared, the VF-35t was hovering about three feet above the water in GERWALK (plane with legs) mode. Andrew looked back at Erica.

"You can open your eyes now," he said. Erica did so and looked around.

"That was AWESOME!" she said and began laughing. "I thought I was going to die there!" Andrew also started laughing.

While this was going on, Romeo 104 was circling the new Home Guard aircraft and was looking at it with some interest. Suddenly there was a transmission.

"Romeo 104, Ensign Riddhe, do you copy," said the CIC officer of the USS Nimitz II.

"This is Romeo 104, loud and clear," said the Ensign.

"There's a Neuroi attack near Dover," said the CIC. "Move to intercept."

"Romeo 104, roger."

Meanwhile, a similar transmission reached Andrew at around the same time. He then contacted the Super Hornet.

"Dossel 3 to Romeo 104, we're heading towards where the engagement is," said Andrew. "Are you ready?"

"Romeo 104 to Dossel 3, hell yeah! Let's give them a beating they'll never forget!"

Andrew sighed and looked back at Erica.

"Hold on," he said. "This is going to be rough." Erica nodded.

Andrew hit the thrusters. Hard. The VF-35t rocket through the air and headed towards the engagement.

Meanwhile…

Near Dover, 1000 hours.

"There's too many of them!" yelled Minna as she shot down another Neuroi. Next to her, Eila, Sanya's friend, just flew around shooting enemy after enemy.

"There's no end to them!" she said. A burning Spitfire Mk. V flew by her and exploded. A Bf. 109 shot down a Neuroi before being torn apart by a barrage of lasers.

"Damn it!" said Minna. "Where's Mio!?" Then a transmission came from a Spitfire.

"This is Lieutenant-*static*-of No. 7 Squadron! We're being bloody to-*static* to bits over here! Where the-*static* are our reinforcements!?" Then a Neuroi slotted on the tail of the Spitfire. "HOLY SHI-!" Then a missile hit the Neuroi, turning it into a cloud of dust.

Minna blinked at the sudden appearance of the missile (what she thought was a rocket). Her state of surprise got worse when she heard a transmission from someone she knew all too well.

"Hi Minna. You called?"

"E-Erica!?" said Minna in surprise. "You're here!?"

"Yup," said Erica. "The cavalry is here!"

Minna looked over and saw a red propeller-less plane fly next to her. She was also surprised to find the person in the rear of the cockpit waving at her.

"Are… are you in that plane!?" asked Minna. Erica gave a thumbs up. Then came another transmission from who Minna assumed to be the pilot of the plane.

"This is Dossel 3. Don't worry Commander Minna, your subordinate is in good hands," said the pilot who, surprisingly, sounded to be about the same age as Erica.

"Roger that Dossel 3," said Minna. The pilot saluted and began to pull his plane into a steep climb.

Meanwhile…

USS Nimitz II, Bridge.

"Do we have any planes we could send to help them?" asked Abraham.

"Sierra team is the only squadron on board that's fully rearmed, sir," said an officer. "Most of the EU and Japanese planes aren't done, either."

"How about the Russians?" asked Abraham. The officer tensed.

"Are you sure that would wise, sir?" he asked. "Could we trust them?"

"Lieutenant, those men are the guys that ended the war for us. We owe them our trust," replied Abraham.

Aircraft Carrier Petovkin, Bridge.

"Admiral Romanov? Do you have any planes that are combat ready?" asked Abraham.

"Yes we do," replied Romanov. "We have three squadrons of MiG-23s ready to launch at this moment."

"Roger that Admiral," said Abraham. "Launch them now, please."

"Roger that."

Meanwhile…

"All planes, this is AWACS Ghost Eye. We'll be your AWACS today."

"Roger that Ghost Eye," replied Andrew. "Do we have any reinforcements headed this way?"

"Affirmative, Dossel 3,"replied Ghost Eye. "We have Sierra team from the USS Nimitz II as well as three Russian squadrons headed your way."

"Roger that Ghost Eye," said Andrew. Then Erica tapper on his shoulder.

"How long are we going to be climbing?" she asked. Andrew smiled.

"We stop… NOW!" He jammed both joysticks down and the VF-35t shot straight down towards a large-type Neuroi. He let fly most of his missiles and they all hit their mark. He then fired his rockets into the same spot, causing the Neuroi to reveal its core.

_"STERBEN!" _he yelled as he pulled the trigger of his Oldsmobile. Its 37mm Armor Piercing rounds punched into the Neuroi's core, resulting in a cloud of dust. The VF-35t flew through the cloud, pulled up, and sent more rockets in the direction of another Neuroi. Then came a transmission.

"Sierra 1 to Dossel 3, stop taking all the kills! We want some too!" Andrew laughed.

"Dossel 3 to Sierra 1, it's your fault that you were late!" he said.

"Romeo 104 to Sierra 1, cover me! I'm making a missile run!"

"Roger that Romeo 104. All planes! Follow on!" An F/A-18C and a squadron of F/A-18Fs flew past Andrew and into a barrage of lasers.

Meanwhile…

"Minna!" Minna turned around to find the rest of the 501st flying towards her.

"Mio!" Minna flew towards the group. Mio was panting.

"Did you see Erica?" she asked. Minna blinked.

"She's on one of the planes. Why?" she replied. Mio sighed.

"I should have saw that coming when we noticed she was actually awake this morning…" said Mio. Minna's eyes widened.

"Wait," she said, "Erica woke up earlier than usual?"

"More on that later," said Mio. "We have Neuroi to kill."

Meanwhile…

"This is Dossel 3, splashed another hostile," said Andrew as he shot down another Neuroi. Erica, sitting in the trainer's seat, was wide eyed. Lasers were missing Andrew's plane by inches, yet he was unfazed. Erica saw this in amazement. How did he manage to do it?

"Ghost Eye to all planes, we have bogeys heading to Dover base at sector R5B. Move to intercept."

"Sierra team, roger."

"Romeo 104, roger."

"Slav team, roger."

"Katyusha team, roger."

"Cossack team, roger."

"501st, roger."

"Dossel 3, roger."

"All planes," said Andrew. "The 501st and I will take out the first target, the rest of you take out the second."

"Since when did you have the authority to give orders?" asked Sierra 1.

"Give him some slack," said Romeo 104. "It's one less target for him, one more for us."

"That's fine with me," said Sierra 1. The American and Russian planes flew towards the second Large Neuroi while the witches and Andrew headed towards the first one.

"Dossel 3, are you sure about that decision?" asked Minna. Mio tapped on her shoulder.

"Those planes will be fine," she said. "I saw them in action."

"But still…" complained Minna.

"This is Slav 1 here. Apparently you don't know the capabilities of our aircraft, commander. Allow as to demonstrate. URA!"

"URA!" yelled the other Russian planes. They charged along with the American planes head on into a barrage of lasers. These planes easily avoided these lasers and let fly a multitude of missiles into the Neuroi, causing it to explode.

Minna was amazed at the performance of these planes. She then concentrated on the task at hand. The 501st began to fire on the last Neuroi and it was slowly being destroyed. However, the Neuroi fired a massive laser at the witches causing them to scatter. Then a transmission.

"Dossel 3 to 501st, can you keep that guy's attention away from me? I want to try something."

"We'll try Dossel 3," said Mio. "What are you going to do?"

"You'll see," said Erica. "It was awesome the first time he did it." Andrew pulled his plane back into a climb again and, soon, he was far above the clouds.

"I wonder what that guy is planning," wondered Eila.

"Well, whatever it is," said Perrine, "it better not put Hartmann in danger."

"That won't happen, Perrine," said Mio. "He looks too noble to do that."

Meanwhile…

"You ready, Lt. Hartmann?" asked Andrew. Erica nodded.

"All right, here goes…" He jammed the joysticks down and the VF-35t dropped down like a rock, straight at the Neuroi. He let fly the rest of his rockets, missiles, even his hidden 100lb bombs. He then ejected the missile and rocket pods. They too did damage to the Neuroi. Then the VF-35t broke the sound barrier. The shockwave also did damage. This was just enough to expose the Neuroi's core.

"STERBEN!" he yelled and fired his Oldsmobile. There was a burst of dust and the VF-35t flew through it.

"Damn it! I missed!" Andrew switched into GERWALK mode, turned the machine 180 degrees, and fired the Oldsmobile. This finally killed the Neuroi.

"This is Dossel 3, final enemy splashed. Returning to base." He then turned to Erica. "You okay, Lieutenant?" Erica nodded.

"I'm fine, but please. Call me Erica," she said. Andrew smiled.

"All right Erica."

A few hours later…

"Wow," said Minna as she looked up at the helicopters landing at the 501st's base. Erica climbed off one of the helicopters and walked over to Minna.

"Hi Minna," she said. Minna smiled.

"Welcome home, Erica." She then turned to a man walking over from another helicopter.

"You must be Wing Commander Minna. I'm Admiral James Abraham. Lt. Hartmann here has told me a lot about you," said Abraham.

"I see," said Minna. "Good things, I hope."

The group walked inside the base. They sat down inside the briefing room.

"Admiral," said Mio. "You haven't told us much about your world history yet. Would you care to do so now?"

"Ah, yes," said Abraham. He then looked at Liu.

"Admiral Liu, do you have the projector?" Abraham asked. Liu nodded.

"Here, plug it in here." Abraham brought out a laptop and Liu connected the projector to it. Abraham turned towards the witches.

"Well ladies," he said. "What you are about to see are some… disturbing images. Are you ready?" The Witches nodded.

"Good. Admiral Romanov, close the blinds please. Thank you. Now," said Abraham. "Let us begin." And the stream of documentaries began to play.

Meanwhile…

Over the base, Dossel team's Valkyries (variable fighters) were hovering around on patrol in GERWALK mode.

"Hey Richthofen," asked Alex. "Who was that blonde? Your girlfriend?" Andrew sighed.

"Of course not," he replied. Alex sighed. Then he changed the topic.

"What are you listening to this time?" he asked.

"Nexus by ClariS," Andrew replied to which Amy nodded.

"You have good taste Andrew," she said.

"Thanks," replied Andrew. He then looked back down at the base. "I wonder how they're reacting to the documentaries."

"Oh I don't know," said Alex. "They might be traumatized by the end."

Meanwhile…

The documentaries covered from the beginning of World War I in 1914 up to the outbreak of the War that Never Was in 2014. The specific point in which the documentary ended was December 6th, 2020.

"Did… all of that… actually… happen?" asked Erica in shock. Everyone else thought the same thing.

"Yes. Sadly, it did," said Abraham. Mio began to recover from her shock.

"But… why did it end at December 6th, 2020? Didn't you people come from 2027?" she asked.

"Well," began Abraham. He then looked at Romanov with worried eyes. Romanov shook his head.

"I'll explain," he said. "But the Luftwaffe should not listen to this." Barkhorn's eyebrows rose.

"Why is that?" she asked. Liu also began to shake his head.

"It is best for your mind not to hear about it," he said. "You girls have enough on your mind with the first two world wars."

With that, the Karlsland witches left the room. The three began to ponder about what they had just seen. On top of that, they began to wonder what it was that the Admirals would not tell them. It was around this time when Erica saw Andrew, now done with his patrol, sitting on the grass and listening to music. She tapped on Barkhorn and Minna.

"Maybe we could ask him," Erica said, before walking towards Andrew. Andrew turned around.

"Oh. Hello Lieutenant," said Andrew. Erica giggled.

"I said you could call me Erica, didn't I?" she said. Andrew then stood up when he saw Minna and Barkhorn walking towards him.

"Um… what can I do for you ma'am?" Andrew asked, slightly afraid. Erica was about to ask in a round-about way but Minna asked bluntly first.

"Can you tell us what happened after December 6th, 2020?" she asked. Andrew tensed. Minna had hit a nerve. Andrew started to hyperventilate slightly before finally calming down.

"You guys are from Germ- I mean Karlsland, right?" he asked. The three witches nodded. "No wonder the Admirals didn't tell you this."

Andrew took a deep breath. "It's going to take a while," he said as the witches sat next to him. "It happened years ago."

Meanwhile, Admiral Romanov was saying the same exact dialogue as Andrew was.

"Did you know, there are three kinds of aces?" he asked. "Those who seek strength, those who live for pride, and those who can read the tide of battle. Those are the three. And him,"

"He was a rather rational man who we all thought was a good guy," continued Andrew. "This man was his buddy. But that changed." Andrew looked up into the sky while Romanov look out of the window. Then the two spoke simultaneously.

"It was a cold and snowy day…"

* * *

Author's notes: Well, that was tiring.

Facts: All about WWIII and why there are no Luftwaffe airmen in the fleet will be revealed... NEXT CHAPTER!

* * *

Karl: Did anyone get the Ace Combat Zero references at the end?

Maya: IDK. Pleas PM or review this chapter if you have any questions, comments or suggestions.

Karl: you know what I just noticed?

Maya: ?

Karl: Karlsland has my name in it :D

Maya: *facepalm*


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The War that Never Was.

Romanov's POV

"_The date was December 7__th__, 2020. The war had been going on for about six years now. The North American front reached a stalemate and the Asian Front was basically over. Most of the action was happening in Europe. Russian Federation troops had already swept through most of Eastern Europe and the line had stabilized around the border between Germany and Poland. EU forces had gathered on the line in massive numbers in order to intercept what was thought to be a major offensive by the Federation. I was flying with the Federation Air Force at the time. I was the second command of the 34th Annihilation Squadron. Our squad commander was a man by the name of Markov, AKA the Russian Shark. We had already established air superiority in Asia and the top brass thought we should be sent to the European front to take part in the operation…"_

Flashback, Polish Airspace, 0600 hours.

"Yo buddy. Just look at the view. There's almost no difference between those countries from up here," said Markov. "Just think about. All that land is about to become part of the motherland if this operation is successful." Romanov nodded.

"Let's pray that the EU forces have better opponents for us," said Romanov. "The South Korean and Vietnamese barley have anything to throw at us. What they DO throw at us are crap." Markov laughed.

"The EU has good planes," said Markov, "but bad pilots." The squadron laughed. Then came a transmission.

"HQ to Slav squadron, the operation is a go. Repeat. The operation is a go. Good luck and _Za Stalina._"

"Roger that HQ," said Markov. He then turned to the others.

"All right fellas," he said. "Time to hunt some wild dogs. _Za Stalina!_"

"_Za Stalina!_" The Russian squadron rolled left and dived into the airspace that was the center of the fray.

Andrew's POV

_ That day, my dad and I were in Germany. He had enlisted in the Luftwaffe, due to our family heritage, and was going to take part in the battle that day. It was cold. It was snowing. I liked the snow, but I hated the cold. It made it look like something would happen that day. Of course, something did._

Flashback, German airfield, Dresden, 0630 hours.

"Dad?" asked the boy. "You're going to come back, right?" Jaeger Richthofen turned around and leaned down.

"Andrew," he said. "You know me. I will be back. Though, I can't guarantee that I'll be back in one piece. I WILL be back, though. Okay?" Andrew nodded. Jaeger got up and walked up and walked over to his squadron.

"All right boys!" he yelled. He pointed towards the sky. "That is our skies. YOUR skies. Remember that. And also, do not, DO NOT, get shot down without my permission. Understood!?"

"YES SIR!" Jaeger looked around before nodding.

"Good. Let's load up boys! It's time to dance with the angels!"

Romanov's POV

"Slav 2, Fox 2!" yelled Romanov. He let fly a missile at the nearest enemy F-15. He was rewarded with a brilliant explosion. Markov was shooting down enemy pilots. Plane after EU plane was shot down by the Russian. Romanov could hear the enemy transmissions through the open channel.

"Oh my god! It's the Shark!"

"Is-Is that him!?"

"No way! I thought he was in- HOLY MOTHER OF-*static*"

"You're right, Markov," Romanov said. "They have good planes, but their pilots are crap."

"I know right?" responded Markov. "If this keeps up, we might not have to do the operation after all." Romanov's eyes narrowed.

"What operation?" he asked. Markov didn't answer. Romanov sighed. He turned his attention back to his targets. All of a sudden, there was a transmission that he didn't expect.

"This is Slav 5! There's a bunch of new guys here! I'm going to- WHAT THE FU-*static*"

"Slav 5! Come in Slav 5!" yelled Romanov into the intercom. There was no reply.

"This is Slav 7! There's another squadron here! Their planes aren't exactly new but they're shooting down our planes like flies!"

And then another one. "Oh my god… one of them is red… It's the Circus! RICHTHOFEN'S FLYING CIRCUS!"

Andrew's POV

"YAHOOOOO!" yelled Jaeger as he downed another Russian plane. Over the transmission there was report of Markov, the Russian Shark, flying around in this airspace. Jaeger smiled.

"All right boys!" he yelled. "Let's send the shark back to the ocean!" The German squadron swooped down on Markov's Slav Team. Jaeger heard enemy transmissions over the open channel. He smiled.

"Yes," he said. "Yes, don't be surprised, be SCARED!" His F-16 soared down from the heavens and began to rain death and destruction on the enemy forces.

Romanov's POV

Romanov weaved and weaved around the air, avoiding missiles fired by the Flying Circus by millimeters. Richthofen. He was a big rival of Markov, and also a Romanov's rival. He needed to draw Richthofen into a fair one on one dogfight. That would be the only way the German may die. Markov on the other hand, would take his rivals out at any cost. He didn't care what was going on below the clouds, on the ground. But when his squadron began to get shot down, one by one, he began to think about retreating, for the first time in his life. He requested this to Markov. The surprising thing was, Markov accepted and the squadron pulled out of the battle, back across the Polish border.

Andrew's POV

The squadron cheered when they had seen the Shark turn tail and run. Still, Richthofen could only wonder why exactly the Russian ace squadron would just turn tail and run after a few minutes of engagement. Still, the Flying Circus had successfully forced the Russian planes back across the border.

In his Su-37, Markov smiled as he crossed the border back to Poland.

"I guess we have to do the operation," he said. Romanov narrowed his eyes.

"I ask again, Markov. What operation?" he asks. Markov smiled wider.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, comrade," he said. Then he pushed a button on a small remote. A red button. A BIG red button. Alarms went off in Romanov's plane when it detected multiple new heat signatures. Romanov looked at these IDs and his eyes widened.

"Markov…" he said angrily. "What the HELL DID YOU JUST DO!?" The other squad members looked at their Radar screens in shock as well, except for a small few.

Meanwhile, the Flying Circus was also looking at their radar screens in shock.

"Those damn Feddies… did they just…" began one of the squad members. Richthofen cut him off.

"Forget about that!" he yelled. "Warn high command and ask them to send an evacuation order."

"Are we evacuating the line, sir?" asked a pilot. Richthofen shook his head.

"We're evacuating Germany," he said. "We're done for." The squadron looked back at their radar screens, still shocked. Richthofen took a deep breath and pushed on his throttle and pulled up on his joystick.

"Where are you going sir!?" asked one of the pilots. Richthofen didn't reply. But it was clear what he was about to do. The other pilots looked at each other, nodded, and followed him.

Meanwhile…

"Commander!" said a German soldier to his officer. "Our troops are ignoring the retreat order and seem to be moving to intercept the missiles!" The German commander looked shocked.

"How is the evacuation of civilians going!?" he asked.

"It is going well sir, but I'm afraid they won't make it out in time," replied the soldier. The commander slammed his fist against the wall.

"Damn it…"

Meanwhile…

"Flight officer!" called Andrew. "Are we leaving?" The flight officer nodded.

"It's your father's orders, Andrew. We need to leave," he said.

"But why?" asked Andrew. The flight officer shook his head.

"I don't know," he said. "I don't know…" He tapped on Andrew's shoulder.

"C'mon, get yourself and your sister on the plane." Andrew nodded.

"Yes sir. Sarah, let's go." Andrew's little sister, Sarah, nodded. Little did they know what was actually about to rain down on the Nation of Germany.

Markov was a dick. Romanov knew that to be true. However, what happened just know was not acceptable. So was the next report.

"Lieutenant Romanov!" said a pilot. "The worst has happened! President Putin has been assassinated!" Romanov's eyes went wide. They narrowed again soon after.

"Did YOU do this!?" he yelled at Markov. Markov laughed.

"And what if I did?" he asked. Romanov went silent for a few minutes. The other pilots looked around at each other. Suddenly, Romanov maneuvered his plane to a collision course with Markov's plane, for he was out of ammo. Markov, on the other hand, had something up his sleeve. Out of nowhere, there was a flash, a bang, and Romanov's plane was going down in flames. On the roof of Markov's plane, there was a small turret. Its barrel was smoking and there were some sparks of electricity as well.

"This is MY war, Romanov," said Markov. "Stay out of it." Romanov gritted his teeth. Alarms were blaring loud in his cockpit. His plane continued to fall.

"D-DAMN IT YOU SON OF A-." But his plane exploded.

Meanwhile…

"C'MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!" yelled Richthofen. He had managed to shoot down one missile. There were more to come. He fired at another but he missed. The missile flew by him, but was intercepted by another plane. Richthofen looked around in shock. Around him, there were planes everywhere. It wasn't just the Flying Circus, the whole entire Luftwaffe was in the air with him. On top of that, there were even a few Russian planes shooting down the missiles as well. He smiled. The Wehrmacht and the Kreigsmarine were doing their best to intercept the missiles as well. He radioed in on a local command post.

"What is the status on the evacuation?" he asked.

"We have finished evacuating all noncombatants out of the country. We're working on getting allied troops out now." As if on cue, an American F-22 flew away from the action. The pilot, who was in tears, slammed the side of his cockpit.

"F-Forgive us, guys…" he said as all major armies evacuated the country. Meanwhile, there was some commotion in all of the field hospitals.

"Sir!" cried one of the soldiers. "Our wounded are refusing to evacuate! They are taking up arms and fighting instead!" The officer couldn't believe what he was seeing. Wounded or not, German soldiers were grabbing weapons and were shooting at the missiles raining on them. The officer then pulled out his pistol and joined them.

Andrew and Sarah looked out the window as the missiles began to hit the ground. Massive explosions vaporized everything in their blast radius. Planes, tanks, and warships melted, then blew up. Soldiers cried in pain. Others were silent as they accepted their deaths. It was like there were over 100 suns rising. Andrew plastered his face to the window. Sarah was crying.

"Dad!?" Andrew yelled. It was useless. "Dad! DAD!"

And thus, as the result of the Federation's indiscriminate nuclear bombardment, Germany, along with its armed forces, was wiped off the map.

* * *

Author's notes: Finally, we have most of the past explained. But... IT IS NOT OVER! Next time, the true reason why Andrew's planes are red will be revealed!

Karl: BUM BUM BUM!

Maya: Shut up.

Karl: Why?

Maya: You just want more people to read your other works, don't you.

Karl:... how did you guess...

Maya: Remember, if you have a comment, question, review, or suggestion, drop us a review in the review box below or PM Karl. Danke! *winks*


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Post Revelation

Erica was laying down on her bed. Everything seemed normal, excluding the fact that she had decided to clean her room in an effort to distract herself. Andrew's story still troubled her. She was sure it troubled everyone to some extent. She tried to focus on a rather happy thought that may help her sleep. She then remembered that her sister was coming the next day. Clinging to the thought, she slowly fell asleep.

The next day was an interesting one. All the witches were silent, still thinking about what they heard the previous day. Coincidentally, many of the WWIII veterans, Andrew included, were taking a day off, many due to trauma and stress. This was probably the most peaceful morning the soldiers would experience.

In the radio room of the 501st HQ, the radio operator turned around to Minna.

"Commander," he began, "The Ju-88 carrying scientists from Karlsland has crashed! It is under heavy fire from the Neuroi, ma'am!" Minna nodded.

"Send the witches there to relieve them!" she said. She then picked up a pocket radio (provided by the coalition fleet) and spoke.

"Admiral Abraham," she said. "Do you have any aircraft you could send to the following position?" she asked. She then gave him the coordinates, nodded a few times, then said, "Thank you for your assistance."

Andrew woke up, pouring sweat. There was a commotion in the hallway. Curious, he got up from bead and opened the door. Soldiers were running back and forth through the hallway. A couple of seconds later, Erica ran past him as well. He stopped her.

"Erica," he began, "what's going on."

"My sister's plane was shot down!" she said. "I need to help her!" She then ran off again. Andrew stood there for a moment, then ran toward the hanger.

Meanwhile… crash site….

Ursula Hartmann's eyes snapped open. She was on the ground, the Ju-88 she was on burning next to her. A Karlsland soldier ran up to her and pulled her up.

"Are you all right, ma'am?" he asked. Ursula nodded. The Neuroi were still firing on their position. It couldn't have been any worse. Many of the scientists and soldiers were wounded. At least five were dead, including the pilot and co-pilot. Then came the distinctive sound of propellers.

The 501st then began their attack run. The Neuroi attempted to shoot them down, but they dodged the shots with ease. Erica took down a few enemies before landing next to her sister.

"Ursula!" she called. "Are you all right?"

"Yes," said Ursula. "I'm fine." She looked up and gasped in awe as a squadron of MiG-29s flew overhead.

"Are… Are those…?" she began. Erica nodded.

The aircraft began shooting down enemies as well. The sudden appearance of the advanced fighters must have confused the Neuroi, for they soon fell into disarray. However, one of them must have remembered their original objective, for it lowered its altitude and was about to strafe the downed Ju-88. The scientists on the ground ran for cover. Erica stepped in front of her sister and began firing. It wasn't working. The Neuroi began to charge its beam.

"Aw shit…" thought Erica. She shut her eyes, hoping the death would be painless.

Personally, I doubt it would have been painless, but hey. Unexpected stuff can happen, like a massive hunk of red ramming into the Neuroi which threw its aim off and missed. This made Erica's jaw drop. Standing on top of the Neuroi was a massive robot that stood about twice the height of a tank. It had what looked like a machine gun in one hand, had folded wings, an aircraft cockpit on its chest, and was red.

"A-Andrew?" began Erica. "Is that you?"

"It's me," replied Andrew. He then switched his view two Ursula.

"Are you all right, ma'am?" he asked. Ursula simply nodded, lost for words.

As this was going on, Andrew took a moment to take a look at his surroundings.

"Wow," he said. "So this is what Battroid mode does." He then proceeded to empty another magazine on another Neuroi, which shattered into pieces. Ursula was amazed at the capabilities of the machine. She wondered how advanced a nation's technology had to be in order to produce this kind of weapon. Extremely advanced for sure. At the same time, war, or the threat of war, usually pushes technological achievements.

The witches, the 75th Test Flight Squadron, and the 14th Interception Wing successfully eliminated the Neuroi in the area and rescued the downed scientists and soldiers. When they returned to base, Andrew couldn't help but think that Erica reminded him a lot about his little sister.

Right when he thought that, he felt vomit coming up his throat. He immediately covered his mouth to prevent himself from throwing up. He took a few deep breaths, then got back up again. He shook his head. How in the world will he survive another war if he didn't get over that memory?

Washington DC, USA, 1240 hours

President Hamilton collapsed onto his chair. He was having quite a few press conferences about the missing fleet, and it was getting on his nerves.

"First World War III and now this," he said. "What's next?" There was a knock at the door. Then the door opened. The President blinked. Then his eyes widened and he shot up from his chair.

"Mr. President sir!" he exclaimed, to which he received a laugh.

"Mr. President? My presidency ended long ago, sir," said former president Obama. President Hamilton blinked, then sighed. He collapsed back into his chair.

"Busy day, Mr. President?" asked Obama. Hamilton nodded.

"We just finished World War III," said Hamilton. "I don't want to start World War IV now, at this moment."

"Indeed," said Obama. Hamilton then looked at Obama.

"Anyway, just what exactly are you doing here, Mr. Obama?" asked Hamilton.

"Oh, I just wanted to say hello," said Obama, "and someone is here to see you, Mr. President." Obama pointed out the door. He then waved goodbye and left as another man in a military uniform walked in.

"Mr. President Sir," said the man. "I'm here to update you on the situation with our missing fleet." Hamilton nodded. Now for some answers.

Alternate Universe, Dover, 1944, 1300 hours.

With the witches' base converted as a temporary naval base for the coalition fleet, the coalition supply ships began to unload their cargo. Local troops stared in awe at the advanced technology.

_Coalition Fleet Land Forces: Battle Strength_

_U.S. Marines_

_M1A1 Abrams MBT x50_

_M2 Bradley IFV x55_

_Apache Attack Helicopters x10_

_Seahawk Transport Helicopters x12_

_U.S. Home Guard_

_M61A5 Type 61 MBT x45_

_M8Cr Wolverine IFV x44_

_Huey Transport Helicopters x10_

_Cheyanne Automated Infantry Unit x42_

_European Union Marines_

_Challenger II MBT x44_

_Leopard II MBT x42_

_Seahawk Transport Helicopters x24_

_Seepanzer Automated Infantry Unit x52_

_Churchill Automated Cavalry Unit x43_

_Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force Infantry_

_Type 90 MBT x37_

_Seahawk Transport Helicopters x25_

_Renewed Russian Navel Infantry_

_T-72 MBT x50_

_BMP-2 IFV x70_

_Mi-6 Transport Helicopters x44_

_Katyusha Automated Infantry Unit (Early War Version) x40_

Thus concludes the list of armaments.

The local troops were especially interested in the Automated Infantry Units that most of the major armies brought. These machines were about twice the height of a tank and were armed with a variety of weapons from .50 caliber machine guns to 105mm autoloaders.

Ursula, camera in hand, toured the base, receiving explanations of each of the various weapons used by the coalition. Ursula was astounded by the level of advanced technology. She too heard the coalition's history of the world and was shocked as well. Though, it was not to the extent of the 501st because she was prepared for it (Thanks, Erica).

When Ursula was examining the cockpit of an EU Seepanzer, her foot slipped and she fell straight backward. She wasn't going to die when she landed, of course, but unfortunately, Andrew just happened to be right under her. Ursula landed right on top of Andrew. (Yes, anime cliché moment, I know. But it had to be done.) Andrew's squad mates only saw the end result.

"Uhhh…" began Alex, "Am I interrupting something?" Andrew shook his head.

"Ma'am," he said, "Get off me please?" Ursula blushed. She got up, but not before Erica arrived and witnessed the scene.

"Ursula!" she said. "What are you doing!?" Ursula's blush got deeper. Andrew went over to where Alex was, drew his Luger, and cocked the gun in an extremely dramatic fashion. A chill went down Alex's spine.

"Ok," he said. "I got the point…"

As the Hartmann twins began walking out of the hanger, however, fate had another trick in store for them. There was a patch of grease on the floor. Erica slipped on it, and Andrew just happened to be in her way again.

"Not again…" was all that Andrew could manage before Erica landed right on top of Andrew.

* * *

Author's notes

The Automated Infantry Unit is a brand new weapon used by both sides of the War that Never Was starting around 2017. The First AIU that was fielded in combat was the Katyusha AIU and was in service with the Russian Federation Ground Force (RFGF). This early war version of the Katyusha is still used by the Renewed Russian Military (RRM). At first, the Katyusha was armed with a 105mm autoloader as its main armament but late war versions replaced this weapon with a 40mm assault rifle. The next AIU was the German Soldatpanzer AIU. This came in two other variants: the Luftpanzer and the Seepanzer. After the Federation's Nuclear Attack on Germany in 2020, the remaining German AIUs were recovered and used by the EU forces. The British Churchill ACU was a crash program by the British to build their own AIU. The result was the worlds first, and only, ACU, or Automated Cavalry Unit, due to it moving on tank treads, thus increasing its mobility. The latest AIU is the Cheyanne AIU operated by the Home Guard. The Cheyanne could in fact be considered the most versatile of all the AIUs because it has more firepower than any other AIU and still has the mobility of an ACU, despite having legs. At one point, a Home Guard Carrier even used Cheyannes as makeshift AA guns and the idea stuck.

* * *

Karl: Hey guys! It's Karl the Arty again and here is another part of Strike Witches: The War that Never Was!

Maya: If you like this story, or if you have any comments, questions, suggestions, reviews, or just want to acknowledge that you are reading this, drop us a PM or type a message in the review box below. Danke!

Karl: Also, don't forget to check out my other stories and my Youtube channel. All links found in my profile. Auf Wiedersehen!


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